Skin and surgical clips



Sept. 20, 1966 A. M. BROWN SKIN AND SURGICAL CLIPS Original Filed Feb. 24. 1960 N VE N TOR Adolph/14. Brown United States Patent 3,273,562 SIGN AND SURGICAL CUPS Adolph M. Brown, deceased, late of Beverly Hills, Calif., by Marthe E. Brown, administratrix, Beverly Hills, Calif., assignor of twenty percent to Rene G. Le Vaux and twenty percent to Ernest C. Wood Original application Feb. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 10,595, now Patent No. 3,098,232, dated July 23, 1963. Divided and this application Apr. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 273,791

ll (Ilairn. ((li. l28337) This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 10,595, filed Feb. 24, 1960, entitled Means and Method for Suturing Wounds and Elements for Use in Same, now Patent No. 3,098,232.

This invention relates to a method and means for bringing together separated sections of skin heretofore achieved by taking stitches into the skin, and it relates further to elements for use in the practice of same.

To the present, when laceration or incision of a skin layer occurs in wounds or the like, it has been the practice to stitch the separated sections of the skin together for the purpose of reducing scar formation and to accelerate healing of the wound. Such stitching operation constitutes a surgical operation wherein the separated sections of the skin are brought together and then stitched, as by a needle and thread, to hold the separated sections together until the wound has healed. When sufiicient time has elapsed, such as from -7 days, the stitches are removed by pulling the stitches from the wound after the threads have been severed.

Such stitching operation constitutes a rather painful procedure which lasts a considerable period of time. In addition, it requires the services of both hands of one or more physicians to hold the separated sections of the skin together, to thread the needle, to pass the needle through adjacent edge portions of the severed skin layer, to tie the thread with the desired tension to close the stitch, and then to sever the loose ends of the threads when the stitch has been completed. All of this leads to the utilization of considerable time in the surgical operation, coupled with interferences of a bleeding wound. Time is a factor in a bleeding Wound, and freedom of the hands of the physician is a factor in the best care of the wound.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and means for quickly and efiiciently bringing the adjacent edge portions of severed sections of the skin together for closing Wounds and for holding the sections together until healed.

A further object is to produce skin clips for use in clipping the skin together to close a wound.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a clip adapted to be used with the clip applicator;

FIG. 2 is a plan View of a clip as shaped when applied to a wound;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a clip employed in the practice of this invention.

The important feature of this invention resides in the clips 30 used with a clip applicator. As seen in FIGS. 1,

ice

2 and 3, the clip is formed from sheet material, preferably metal, and in this particular embodiment the body is planar and generally U-shaped, with a rear web or bail portion 68 and forwardly extending leg portions 70. This arrangement is desirable because it is simple and inexpensive. The bail portion 68 is of lesser width at its central portion than at the end portions to define a central area of weakness for bending when the arms are displaced in the direction towards each other.

A pair of points or spicules 72 are inclined downward and toward each other from the front edge 71 of each clip.

With these arrangements, pressure on the sides of the clip sulficient to bend the leg portions 70, see FIG. 2, would cause points 72 on the legs to move toward each other. When the clip is pressed onto a wound, pressure on the sides of the clip causes tthe points to penetrate the skin to bring the margins together. While in position of use, the body of the clip is free of the skin. This is important because it permits a suitable clip remover to be inserted between the leg portions for separation of the legs and removal of the clips from the skin without exerting any pressure on the wound.

The invention may be embodied in other forms Without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof as set forth in the claim, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and it is intended to include all changes which come Within the scope and range of the claim.

What is claimed is:

A skin clip comprising a flat, sheet metal member which is deformable and which remains in the shape to which it is deformed consisting of a crosswise extending bail por tion, an elongate arm extending forwardly perpendicularly from each of the outer ends of said bail portion, said bail portion and arms having fiat top and bottom surfaces of substantial width by comparison With the depths between said top and bottom surfaces and with each arm having a forward end portion and inner and outer lateral edges throughout the lengths thereof, spicules integral with the inner edges of each arm in the forward end portion thereof and extending inwardly in the direction towards each other and angularly downwardly beyond the plane formed by the bottom walls of the arms, the forward edge of said crosswise extending bail being tapered rearwardly from the outer ends inwardly towards the center to provide a bail of decreasing width from the outer ends towards the center of the bail.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 733,723 7/1903 Lukens 128-337 816,026 3/1906 Meier 128-337 2,329,440 9/1943 La Place 1-56 X 2,817,339 12/1957 Sullivan 128-337 X 3,006,344 10/1961 Vogelfanger 128334 X RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. D. L. TRULUCK, Assistant Examiner. 

